Transgender and genius

[Binks]

     I find myself in an unusual situation at this time. That is that I am a genius with a 161 IQ and I am sitting at U.N.O. in Omaha bored out of my mind and unchallenged and probably just barely going to pass this semester. Why well I know part of it is that the one school in town that is even worth my time won't take me back for two reasons I failed out of classes there due to working two jobs and going to school. And second that they are a Jesuit School even though the catholic church now accepts transgender people they still will not.

    I suppose that I am just venting here but Has any one else had any experience with being a genius but in its own way working against you?

[rejennyrated]

yep!

We are very similar - in my younger days I too measured similarly high on the various intelligence tests that I did - but like you I used to get bored, and because I could, I used to coast and do precisely no work... so only ever got average results.

I passed my Bsc without going to most of the lectures and having done precisely no revision or serious study beyond reading the text books once and relying on my eidetic memory!

I also think that when you are trans you waste an inordinate amount of brain power in simply solving the problem of how to become the person you so desperately want to be... and that skews your whole life.

I often wonder what I could have achieved if I had spent less of my energy in my early life simply fighting to be myself, and then fighting my way out from religious convictions which I realised were no longer helping me to grow, but instead had started to hold me back.

[MasterAsh]

I have no claims to ascertain my intelligence as genius-level, but I have lately felt an indescribable sadness in feeling ineffectual in this world as if within me exists the ability to sway public opinion for the betterment of humanity's advancement towards enlightenment and greater understanding.

Reminding myself the feelings of "getting it" and being misunderstood only make me human like everyone else used to ground that sadness. Lately, though, doing so isn't working as well. I'm feeling a growing compulsion to be heard and understood, and I don't understand why even with the context of transition, i.e. what I want "heard and understood" doesn't involve the continued realization of my identity.

[BardicFire]

I have an IQ of 147, which is just within top 2 percentile aka genius, so I know what you mean. I've kinda overwhelmed myself with the amount of knowledge I've been building about Trans-Community

[spiritplumber]

I think part of it is that being trans forces you to always be on the alert mentally.

[Rock_chick]

I wouldn't claim to be a genius, but I'm certainly very creative, the difficulty is just getting me to focus on things long enough to do them. Case in point, I have a natural talent for writing (probably due to all the time I've spent inside my own head, both as a child and an adult), have no shortage of ideas and the scant things I do write I've been told have flashes of brilliance...but everytime i sit down and try to write my mind just skits away. Same with the music, same with teh photography...though not as much.

[Flan]

yeah, mostly when I try to think outside the book. my experience is that instructors don't like answers not in the manual :|

[pebbles]

Friends say I'm intelligent I think I'm just famously Eccentric enigmatic and chaotically Anti-authoritarian to a fault thus giving that impression i'm smarter than I am, Although I have alot of knowledge in science and others things intelligence is only ever a matter of specializing your mind to varied tasks.

I got an IQ of 79 (lowest score) I didn't see the point in the test and put in silly answers. I dislike the idea of mensa... Intelligence should open peoples minds to others not close them off but that's my opinion from someone who is apparently borderline retarded.

Friends love my "projects" usually they often involve me doing zany stuff making toys electronics or clothes for friends or alternatively making something explode dramatically for them this year I intend to launch something into space... probably a camera.

[BunnyBee]

Why does it seem that every time you hear somebody talking about how high their IQ is, the next thing you usually hear about is their failures?

...rhetorical question.

[Lachlann]

And second that they are a Jesuit School even though the catholic church now accepts transgender people they still will not.

Did this just happen recently? Someone got a link?

Just curious.

[Starscrash]

I have an autism spectrum disorder, and my IQ has been tested 3 times; 167 when I was 14, 181 when I was 18, and 197 just this past month.  That said, being intelligent has definitely gotten in my way.  I dropped out of HS in 9th grade, partly because of depression issues (which were at least partly because of trans issues,) but partly because I decided that since I wasn't learning anything in school, I might as well drop out and use the time to educate myself.  As it turns out, most universities will care very little about a 2400 SAT if you've dropped out of HS. 

[rejennyrated]

Why does it seem that every time you hear somebody talking about how high their IQ is, the next thing you usually hear about is their failures?

...rhetorical question.

erm... Not quite always I think.

Either that or you have quite an interesting definition of failure I feel Jen!

After all I may not have got the Firsts that I was expected to have done but holding honours degrees in three different subjects spanning, engineering arts, and sciences, an HND, a Bsc, and an MA could hardly exactly be considered a failure I feel...

[Carlita]

Why does it seem that every time you hear somebody talking about how high their IQ is, the next thing you usually hear about is their failures?

...rhetorical question.

Because there is no necessary link between high IQ - which is actually a very narrow and unsatisfactory definition of intelligence, let alone genius - and the ability to function successfully in the world at large, or go conduct satisfactory personal relationships. I come from a family (both parents included) of spectacularly clever people, academically speaking, who are also spectacularly screwed-up. Few of them have the skill to harmess their intelligence to practical or professional ends and when they do they swiftly become bored: once you've worked out how to do something, why do it again? Far better, IMO, to have a well-rounded personality that is smart enough to grasp ideas, but also practical enough to apply them and emotionally sensitive enough to deal with other, less gifted people.

FWIW I don't think there's anything other than a coincidental link between genius and gender incongruity. Tho I would say from personal experience that being transsexual has probably inhibited me somewhat, just because I never had that testosterone-fuelled win-at-all-costs mentality ... Thank God!!

~~Edited for language by Emelye~~

[confused]

not a genius , but smart enough . the reason i guess would be that the uni where i live is crappy , not a bit interresting . while i'm great at off the study projects , like software programming and web design , and i'm actually good at it , even have a career and yet not able to graduate because simply , i rarely ..very rarely study at all

[BunnyBee]

I always feel so guilty whenever I say something remotely mean  .

Just for clarity- I have noticed that people usually bring their IQ scores into conversation when they need a sort of ego crutch for falling short of their own expectations of themselves.  I did not mean to suggest people with high IQ's don't generally find success in life, or that anybody in this thread is a failure .  The juxtaposition is just ironic, that's all.

[Cindy]

I always feel so guilty whenever I say something remotely mean  .

Just for clarity- I have noticed that people usually bring their IQ scores into conversation when they need a sort of ego crutch for falling short of their own expectations of themselves.  I did not mean to suggest people with high IQ's don't generally find success in life, or that anybody in this thread is a failure .  The juxtaposition is just ironic, that's all.

Oh Jen, does it mean my IQ of 320 doesn't impress you!
Now what universal problem to solve next.  Mmm, bank account,

No, I think I need to concentrate on important issues;  hyper spacial underwear. Go forth and support us in the right places


Sorry I hope I'm not being offensive, just a laugh


Cindy IQ=2

[Silver]

http://xkcd.com/715/

[alexia elliot]

A genius (plural genii or geniuses,[1]  adjective ingenious) is a person, a body of work, or a singular achievement of surpassing excellence. More than just originality, creativity, or intelligence, genius is associated with achievement of insight which has transformational power. A work of genius fundamentally alters the expectations of its audience. Genius may be generalized, or be particular to a discrete field such as philosophy, sports, statesmanship, science, or art.

Although difficult to quantify, genius is to a level of aptitude, capability, or achievement which exceeds even that of most other exceptional contemporaries in the same field. The normal distribution suggests that the term might be applied to phenomena ranked in the top 0.1%, i.e. three standard deviations or greater, among peers. In psychology, the inventor of the first IQ tests, Alfred Binet, applied the term to the top 0.1% of those tested.[2][3] This usage of the term is closely related to the general concept of intelligence.

Transgender (pronounced /trænzˈdʒɛndər/) is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to deviate from the normative gender roles.

Transgender is the state of one's "gender identity" (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) not matching one's "assigned sex" (identification by others as male, female or intersex based on physical/genetic sex). "Transgender" does not imply any specific form of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual; some may consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them. The precise definition for transgender remains in flux, but includes:

    * "Of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender roles, but combines or moves between these."[1]
    * "People who were assigned a sex, usually at birth and based on their genitals, but who feel that this is a false or incomplete description of themselves."[2]
    * "Non-identification with, or non-presentation as, the sex (and assumed gender) one was assigned at birth."[3]

A transgender individual may have characteristics that are normally associated with a particular gender, identify elsewhere on the traditional gender continuum, or exist outside of it as "other," "agender," "Genderqueer," or "third gender". Transgender people may also identify as bigender, or along several places on either the traditional transgender continuum, or the more encompassing continuums which have been developed in response to the significantly more detailed studies done in recent years.

Failure refers to the state or condition  of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic engineering.

Success may mean, but is not limited to:

    * a level of social status
    * achievement of an objective/goal
    * the opposite of failure
    * the succession of successfully executed tasks and successes

If you meet any of this conditions your life shall be wonderful!
If you do not meet any of this conditions your life shall be wonderful!

[Cindy Stephens]

I would like to point out that, at least in US, prison populations are bi-modal, i.e. prisoners represent a greater than expected population of very unintelligent and very intelligent people, compared to their respective population distributions.  I am a member of Mensa and, for a while, a member of the transgender Special interest group.  There were 3 of us worldwide, out of a couple of hundred thousand I think.  The group was headed by a non-op older British person who had been a founder of the Beaumont Society in London.  I think it was kind of famous in its day.  (apologies if it still is)  There is no transgender group anymore. 
Perhaps if there are so many of us who are transgender and also good at taking IQ tests, then you others should join and as they say, strength in numbers.  Having the imprimatur of a respected worldwide organization  can give a bit of clout and outlet for acceptance.

[tekla]

Two things - First, it's odd you would single out the Jesuits like that as here in SF the most 'open and accepting' RCC outside of the one actually in the Castro District is the the one in Haight-Ashbury run by the Jesuits.  And, having been taught by Jesuits I'm sure they don't have a policy on transgender, they no doubt have three or four and will use whatever one suits them best at the moment.  As for the stand of the entire RCC, the Jesuits have never really been all that good at listening to Rome, so their policy may, or may not (and they could care less) be in line with Rome.

As for not being able to get back into Creighton University it's far more likely that - and this is almost a Jesuit tradition - once you've failed, you've failed.  They are not much on second chances.  Particularly when you are not taking responsibility (I failed out of classes there due to working two jobs and going to school) for your own behavior.^*  In Jesuit logic, you didn't fail due to having two jobs, you failed because your grades were not good enough, no matter what the reason was.  Creighton is hard to get into, perhaps one of the best private Liberal Arts Universities in the Midwest, I'm sure it's even harder to get back into given the Jesuit standards.


Two.  IQ test measure largely the ability to take IQ tests.  About the only 'real world' application of this is in academic work where taking tests is a significant part of the deal.  In the reality-based community, not so much.  The range of what they test is very narrow, and says little to nothing about the ranges of intelligence that are applied every day in getting through life.  In fact, as has been alluded to, they often are a liability.  Too often I have found IQ test described geniuses (I myself reserve that word for real world accomplishments) tend to have three very distinct problems that have a profoundly negative effect on true accomplishment.  To wit:

- such people when faced with something that they don't instantly know, become very easily frustrated to the point of worthlessness when trying to learn it.  In other words, if they don't get it right away, they are never going to get it at all.  Moreover since they are 'geniuses' the reason they didn't get it can't be them, but the blame must lie elsewhere.

- Whatever it is that such test are testing for there is according to my observations an almost inverse correlation between the score and the ability to get along with, communicate with, and work with other people.  This tends - as I'm sure Ms. James will concur with - to be a real problem in higher education where brilliant academic work gets people teaching jobs, when in fact, they are just about always the worst teachers ever.  They just don't ever understand why people 'just don't get it' right off, and are completely and utterly unable to help their students through the frustration of leaning it.  (see above point).

- Far from being some sort of signpost to success, high IQ scores tend to be used as an excuse for failure.  Which, when you think about saying 'Gee, I was just too smart to do well in school, or succeed at a job' comes off as sounding kinda retarded.



Having the imprimatur of a respected worldwide organization  can give a bit of clout and outlet for acceptance.
You can't be seriously thinking of Mensa like that.


* - I even looked it up, and the Creighton code of conduct is almost word for word the same as my HS code of conduct.  Inconsistent with this principle are all forms of dishonesty, excuse-making, failure to take responsibility for your behavior, trust in relationships and violations of the code of ethics of your foreseen profession.  I know that because outside of looking up the Creighton code, some 40 years later I still have the one from my HS memorized.  Damn Jesuits.
BTW, that's about the best thing they ever taught me.  It has always served me well, and I taught it to my kids using the old blues line: 'Fess up when you mess up. If you read what you wrote, you have not done that.  The way back in starts with a speech that would begin: Father, I failed because I did not work up to the level I'm capable of, I failed to apply myself with the vigor that I now understand is required of me...